Device for operating street-railway switches.



no. 731,952. PATBNTEDSEUNE 2a, 1903.

E. ROBBINS.

DEVICE FOR OPERATING STREET RAILWAY SWITCHES.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 2, 1903. 10 MODEL.

If !n JI 1F.

. UNITED STATES Patented June 23, 1903.

4 PATENT OFFICE.

ELIAS ROBBINS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 731,952, dated June 23,1903. Application filed January 2, 1903. Serial No. 137.452. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIAS ROBBINS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Devices forOperating Street-Railway Switches, of which improve ment the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to an improved device for operatingstreet-railway switches; and it consists in a means arranged at each endof the car operated by the motorman whereby the switch-bar may be movedin either direction without stopping the car, together with the certaindetails of construction and combination of parts, as will be fullydescribed hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portionof a street-railway car provided with my improved device for operatingthe switch-bar, the said device beingconstructed and arranged inaccordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same.Fig. 3 is an enlarged side sectional elevation of the spring-armsadapted to engage with the switch-bar.

Toput my invention into practice with an ordinary street-railway car 1,I arrange beneath the floor of the same a shaft 2, mounted in suitablebearings 4 and operated by a small motor 3 or by the motor used foroperating the car. This shaft 2 is fitted at its forward end with auniversaljoint 5 of any well-known construction and the said jointconnected to a second shaft 6, confined in a slotted bearing 7, and theforward end inclined downward to a point immediately above and in linewith the rails of the track. Fitted upon the outer end of this shaft 6is a brush 14, the rotatable movement of which cleans the rails duringthe forward movement of the car. Arranged at the rear of this brush 14are a series of spring-actuated arms 11, pivoted to a hub 13 andprojecting radially therefrom, adapted to be rotated by the motor 3,above mentioned.

Loosely connected to the shaft 6 is a vertically-arranged bar 8, whichextends upward through the platform of the car and is fittedwithatread-piecelO. ThisbarSis supported in bearings S and is providedwith two springs 9, one of which is for the purpose of keeping the brushand spring-arms elevated above the rails and the other weaker spring toprevent jarring or vibration to the foot of the motorman. This verticalmovement of the arms 11 and shaft may be accomplished in other ways,such as a lever connected to suitable crank mechanism.

Mechanism substantially as above described is placed at each end of thecar and at each side, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 2 of thedrawings.

In operation it is only necessary to give the shaft 6 a rotary movementby means of the motor above described and upon approaching theswitch-bar depress the tread 10 by the foot, which will bring thespring-arms 11 in contact with the said bar and move the same in thedirection of the rotation of the arms. When the switch-bar has beenmoved, the foot is taken from the tread 10 and the parts elevated to theposition shown at Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The object of pivoting the arms 11 and providing the same with springsis to permit the said arms to ride over any obstacle or uneven portionof the street.

It is obvious that various slight modifications and changes may be madein the details of construction without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

The herein-described device for operating switch-bars onstreet-railways, consisting of the rotatable shafts 2 and 6, and meansfor operating the same, the radial spring-arms 11 arranged on theforward end of the same, the rotatable brush let forward of the saidspringarms, the vertical tread-bar 8, loosely connected to the shaft 6,suitable springs 9 to hold the shaft 6 suspended, and a means for movingthe bar 8 downward, all arranged and combined, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

ELIAS ROBBINS.

In presence of- M. E. HARRISON, JOHN GROETZINGER.

